Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc... Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing me around.
Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
We are way TOO dry here in the central coast of California.
Oh, I love the pots! In fact seeing all those crusty, BURNT looking pots make me look at mine and say, "Where's the clay?" I've noticed a desire in myself to go toward the mat glazes, stony looking, not as shiny and pretty.
But here is the reality: My main place to move a lot of pots is an annual Arts/Crafts outdoor show here in town. I just spent 3 days selling there and did quite well, have a lot of loyal customers, etc., but I would say 90% of what sold was serving bowls, bakiing dishes, plates & platters, and some mugs. The other ten percent being vases or small bottles, etc.
I especially liked a squared off water jar (?) with stamped impressions inside. Is interior decoration traditional for certain things, or is that just something you do? A lot of your pots had wavy, whitish runs that were like waterfalls, in one size scale, or a patriarch's beard in another scale.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike" <m...@karatsupots.com>
To: <ClayCraft@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 2:29 PM
Subject: *ClayCraft* new work posted to site
> Hello,
> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so
> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually
> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and
> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out
> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing
> me around.
> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Wow, well you'd love it here then, I've got about 2 inches of standing water around my workshop right now, and there is something that looks like kelp growing in clumps around the yard. I wonder if it's edible...
I'm glad you like the pots, I have to say I wasn't aiming for crusty or burnt, but was just trying to spruce up a couple of plain looking glazes I have. I think I stumbled onto something good. The bowl with the bubbly surface/green surface has a real nice luster effect, which is hard to see in the photo. That glaze is a high iron, basically tenmoku glaze, don't know how it went green. I wonder if I'll ever see that again.
I understand the reality of your market. The show last fall in Seattle showed me a lot about what sells to Americans. Larger work, and much tableware. Work made for Japanese tabletops is a stretch for Americans, and vice versa to a degree (though younger Japanese seem to like western style shapes with traditional glazes.). I think that if I want to sell in the US, I'll have to come up with two lines of wares.
The water jar and the flower vase are coil and paddle, that's why there's a pattern on the inside, it's just a by-product of the method, but it looks nice with the white pooling in the circles. Need to make a lid for the square jar, that will be an interesting endeavor. I can't afford to order one from the lacquer people, too expensive. The waterfall runs were where the white went in too thick, my preference is for the more controlled runs (patriarch beard style) because it looks a bit more refined, and there's a lot less grinding to do....
> We are way TOO dry here in the central coast of California.
> Oh, I love the pots! In fact seeing all those crusty, BURNT looking pots > make me look at mine and say, "Where's the clay?" I've noticed a desire in > myself to go toward the mat glazes, stony looking, not as shiny and pretty.
> But here is the reality: My main place to move a lot of pots is an annual > Arts/Crafts outdoor show here in town. I just spent 3 days selling there > and did quite well, have a lot of loyal customers, etc., but I would say 90% > of what sold was serving bowls, bakiing dishes, plates & platters, and some > mugs. The other ten percent being vases or small bottles, etc.
> I especially liked a squared off water jar (?) with stamped impressions > inside. Is interior decoration traditional for certain things, or is that > just something you do? A lot of your pots had wavy, whitish runs that were > like waterfalls, in one size scale, or a patriarch's beard in another scale.
> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mike" <m...@karatsupots.com>
> To: <ClayCraft@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 2:29 PM
> Subject: *ClayCraft* new work posted to site
>> Hello,
>> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so
>> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually
>> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
>> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and
>> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
>> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out
>> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing
>> me around.
>> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Rain, we need it. Send some our way. It is odd but some years the tropical weather (read hurricanes) is the only way people can get enough water to live here. Frequently when our resevoirs are nearly dry a hurricane comes by and fills em up.
I am at work late tonight firing a oncefire soda kiln with handbuilt student work. I may have blown something, but the schedule is too tight to unload and see. Our summer sessions are short and we call it close. My students called it too close and lots of stuff was still damp... So it goes. Probably should have left it out. Always a hard call in the summer.
The kiln is a 30 cu ft or so soda kiln on natural gas (methane). We just got a kiln yard expansion and a roof beam was designed to go in right up against the chimney. I had built the chimney hoping it would last 20 years and that I would not have to rebuild. Instead I had to move it.
So I took it down and rebuilt it 3 feet away with a small chamber between it and the kiln. It really is just an enlarged flue channel with a door. We call it the flumber or flue-ber . Then the engineers came and said we had to move it again. This time however they pushed it. Unfortunately they started with a sledge and the chimney is funky. The finished with a car jack and that worked well.
We now have an enlarge flumber. WE don't add any fuel for it and just fire it on the scrap heat. It is really a thermal gradient kiln with cone 9 on one side and cone 1 on the far side. We are using other glazes in it. The shinos are spectacular really cold but they shiver off the pots. I will probably fiddle with the recipe as I really like them.
Picture attached.
Y'all have fun. Louis
--- On Tue, 6/30/09, Ann Brink <annsar...@verizon.net> wrote:
> From: Ann Brink <annsar...@verizon.net>
> Subject: *ClayCraft* Re: new work posted to site
> To: ClayCraft@googlegroups.com
> Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 6:34 PM
> Hi Mike,
> We are way TOO dry here in the central coast of
> California.
> Oh, I love the pots! In fact seeing all those crusty,
> BURNT looking pots > make me look at mine and say, "Where's the clay?"
> I've noticed a desire in > myself to go toward the mat glazes, stony looking, not as
> shiny and pretty.
> But here is the reality: My main place to move a lot of
> pots is an annual > Arts/Crafts outdoor show here in town. I just spent 3
> days selling there > and did quite well, have a lot of loyal customers, etc.,
> but I would say 90% > of what sold was serving bowls, bakiing dishes, plates
> & platters, and some > mugs. The other ten percent being vases or small
> bottles, etc.
> I especially liked a squared off water jar (?) with stamped
> impressions > inside. Is interior decoration traditional for
> certain things, or is that > just something you do? A lot of your pots had wavy,
> whitish runs that were > like waterfalls, in one size scale, or a patriarch's beard
> in another scale.
> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mike" <m...@karatsupots.com>
> To: <ClayCraft@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 2:29 PM
> Subject: *ClayCraft* new work posted to site
> > Hello,
> > Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential
> downpour here in Saga, so
> > I've been spending much time indoors getting things
> done that I usually
> > avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking,
> cleaning, etc...
> > Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the
> latest firing and
> > posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
> > The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out
> green, greens came out
> > grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are
> slowly bringing
> > me around.
> > Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts
> of the world.
> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in > Saga, so > I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I > usually > avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc... > Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing > and > posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens > came out > grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing > me around.
Dear Mike;
I see what looks to be some iridescence on a few of the chawan........ if true, how do you explain it?
> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Trying to see if I may have the $$$ for a trip to Taku in 2010...... or ?
> I especially liked a squared off water jar (?) with stamped > impressions > inside. Is interior decoration traditional for certain things, or > is that > just something you do?
Dear Ann;
Mike will step in here and clarify, but I am guessing that those patterns are in part to 'solidify' the walls of handbuilt pieces. Mike's clay is pretty tender as you can see from the cracks, divots, and patches. Perhaps those stamped patterns help 'solidify' the structure.
I like the waterfall on the pot the best. Really interesting. And then the
stamped bottom too.
Sorry, to say, but should it not say: "May 2009". Does the rain make you go
back in time?
On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 6:29 AM, Mike <m...@karatsupots.com> wrote:
> Hello,
> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so
> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually
> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and
> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out
> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing
> me around.
> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Mike: Here in Alexandria, VA, it is starting to dry out a little,
although it has been wetter and cooler tha I expected, but NOAA say
the averages are hotter than normal. I have been sitting outside
getting sun & vitamin D for a change and have a nice tan/burn going
the pots look so good - good job
h a n s e n
On Jun 30, 5:29 pm, Mike <m...@karatsupots.com> wrote:
> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so
> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually
> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and
> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out
> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing
> me around.
> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
I just got the chance to check it out. We are doing the first firing of the kiln Steve and I built, I am on shift in a hour and 20 minutes. We started it at 12:30 am on Tuesday.
Ki wo tsukette ne!!
Rick
On 6/30/09 2:29 PM, "Mike" <m...@karatsupots.com> wrote:
> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so > I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually > avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc... > Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and > posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out > grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing > me around.
> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Hah, hah... It should shouldn't it? It was the Mashiko gathering that had the typhoon blow through just before everyone arrived right? I got there the night before in the rain, and thought the building was going to come down on me that night.Got up in the morning and my shoes were floating in about 8 inches of standing water in the entryway. The local stray cat who usually gained entrance to the building by going under and coming up in the entryway was trapped inside because his usual pathway was flooded.
> I like the waterfall on the pot the best. Really interesting. And then > the stamped bottom too.
> Sorry, to say, but should it not say: "May 2009". Does the rain make > you go back in time?
> On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 6:29 AM, Mike <m...@karatsupots.com > <mailto:m...@karatsupots.com>> wrote:
> Hello,
> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in
> Saga, so
> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I
> usually
> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest
> firing and
> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens
> came out
> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing
> me around.
> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Work looks grea Mike! I haven't been able to get my old white and black glazes to work in the soda kiln. The Kaki's either. Going to fire reduction after next soda, so I can do my Mashiko glazes. -- -- Lee Love in Minneapolis http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/ "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." -- Albert Einstein
Yes, that one chawan has a bit of a luster to it. Couldn't say why. That was the only pot with that particular glaze in that saggar. My guess is the charcoal, but I have no idea how or when. Those two Karatsu Ido bowls were in the same saggar. That one pot with the luster was glazed with a local stone mixed with 5% ash. Usually turns out a thick semi matte black, I have no idea why it decided to go green where it did.
Still planning for the workshop in fall of 2010, love to see you here...
>> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so >> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually >> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
>> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and >> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
>> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out >> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing >> me around.
> Dear Mike;
> I see what looks to be some iridescence on a few of the chawan........ > if true, how do you explain it?
>> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
> Trying to see if I may have the $$$ for a trip to Taku in 2010...... > or ?
> I just got the chance to check it out. We are doing the first firing of the
> kiln Steve and I built, I am on shift in a hour and 20 minutes. We started
> it at 12:30 am on Tuesday.
> Ki wo tsukette ne!!
> Rick
> On 6/30/09 2:29 PM, "Mike" <m...@karatsupots.com> wrote:
>> Hello,
>> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so
>> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually
>> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
>> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and
>> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
>> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out
>> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing
>> me around.
>> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Mike so far so good. We worked at reducing the smoke after stoking and had
some success, but we did not totally eliminate the smoke.
We ended up adding another 6 feet to the chimney and that helped reduce the
smoke a bit, we think.
Rick
On 7/1/09 1:47 PM, "Mike" <m...@karatsupots.com> wrote:
> Richard Mahaffey さんは書きました:
>> Hey, Mike Great work!!!
>> I just got the chance to check it out. We are doing the first firing of the
>> kiln Steve and I built, I am on shift in a hour and 20 minutes. We started
>> it at 12:30 am on Tuesday.
>> Ki wo tsukette ne!!
>> Rick
>> On 6/30/09 2:29 PM, "Mike" <m...@karatsupots.com>
>> <mailto:m...@karatsupots.com> wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>> Were into the 3rd day of the latest torrential downpour here in Saga, so
>>> I've been spending much time indoors getting things done that I usually
>>> avoid, such as web page catch up, picture taking, cleaning, etc...
>>> Finally got around to taking a set of photos from the latest firing and
>>> posted them here for anyone who cares to have a look:
>>> The teabowls were a big surprise, blacks came out green, greens came out
>>> grey and black. Wasn't looking for yohen, but they are slowly bringing
>>> me around.
>>> Hope everyone is staying dry in your respective parts of the world.
Hey all -- really enjoyed the photos Mike! Interesting work and great details in the pics. You inspired me to load and fire (finished a long 21 hour firing and wish it was morning already). Nice mugs Gary -- soothing video, too! Thanks for sharing!! Send your rain Texas-way -- it is hot and hotter with zero rain.
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